Instantaneous water-heater



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

A. G. WARD.

INSTANTANEOUS WATER HEATER.

No. 597,130. Patented'Jan. 11,1898.

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ATTEST flaw (No Hodel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

A. G. WARD. INSTANTANBOUS WATER HEATER.

No. 597,130. Patented Jan..11, 1898.

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ALMON G. WARD, OF WARREN, OHIO.

INSTANTANEOUS wATER- -H EATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,130, dated January 11, 1898.

' Application filed June 14, 1897. Serial No. 640,729. (No model.)

To all whom it concern.-

Be it known that I, ALMON G. WARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at WVarren, in the county of Trumbull and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Instantaneous Water-Heaters; and I do declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to what have become known as instantaneous water-heaters, a class of heaters in which the water spreads as it travels over heated surfaces, and, by reason of the large surface exposure as compared with the volume of water, is heated in its travel over a comparatively short distance, all substantially as shown and described, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of the heater, and Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof omitting the fixtures. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the water and gas cont-rollin g and regulating mechanism with a section of the boiler-casing, as hereinafter more fully described. Fig. i is a vertical central sectional elevation of the heater on a line corresponding, substantially, to a: 0:, Fig. 5. Fi g. 5 is a horizontal cross-section of the heater on a line corresponding, substantially, to 1 y,

Fig. 4.

It will be understood that in the use of a heater of this kind the water is under some suitable pressure, as fr gmaraisedtanl; or the usual pressure of a city-main or other equivalent means for forcing the Water to the top of the heater.

A represents the drum or casing, shown here as a section of a plain sheet-metal tube or cylinder open at both ends; but the bottom may be closed, if preferred, if suitable inlets are provided to supply air to the burner, and a cap or cover may be used to keep out dust and dirt, if it does not interfere with the draft from below or is constructed to afford the necessary draft.

13 represents the burner, which in this instance is a gas-burner adapted to natural or manufactured gas 5 but a liquid-hydrocarbon or other suitable burner may be employed without affecting the invention. In this instance there are two concentric rings or channels 2 and 3, one within the other and perforated over their top and adapted to reach different surfaces of the heater. Gas is supplied to both rings throug 1 the coupling 1, having exterior valve mechanism hereinafter described.

N ow, referring to the interior structure of the heater, as seen in Fig. 4, we have first of all two concentric interior cylinders C and D, arranged in such relation and proximity to each other as to form a comparatively close water chamber or space between them from end to end. The said cylinders are closed on each other at their ends, and the water-supply pipe 6 enters the said chamber at its bottom from without through casing A, and a series of passages about the top of the chamber provide outlet for the water at that point. These passages are formed in this instance by means of short tubes 7, supported by the shell E at their outer ends and bridging the space between said shell and the cylinder D. As many of these passages may be used as maybe found desirable; but only four are shown here, as seen in Fig. 2, so that they do not interrupt the draft from the burner. At its lower end the shell E is spread or flared uniformly all around to contact with the inside of the casing A at a point near the burner B and is soldered or otherwise secured to said casing at this point, so as to be and remain fluid-tight. An outlet-pipe 8 is tapped into the bottom of the space thus formed between shell E and casing A, whence the hot water has its exit from the heater.

At the top of the heater and encircling the .shell E is a conoidal ring G, corrugated or fluted about its lower and narrower edge, Where it engages around and upon the said shell. The flutes or corrugations of the said rin g deepen gradually downward to the engag ing edge of the said ring and are of such slight depth that water issuing through passages 7 will be somewhat evenly distributed within said edge and flow thence in a sheet down over the outside of the shell. The function of ring G, therefore, is to spread the water evenly over the shell E as it flows through the several passages '7 from the chamber within. It will be seen that by this construction the heat from the inner or smaller ring of flame reaches the water-chamber from within ,while the heat from the outer ring reaches the said chamber upon its outside and at the same time especially strikes the inclined surface 10 of the shell E, which slants across the path of the heat rising from the said ring next above the same, where the heat is most intense. This is of special and very material advantage, because it exposes the heated water to the mostsevere heat just before it issues from the device and where the water may be slightly detained, so as to boil it, if desired; There is no cooling-surface for the hot water to flow over after it leaves What maybe termed the final heating-space, because it flows thence immediately out of the delivery-spout 8 for use.

By the foregoing construction both sides of the water-chamber are heated and the inner surface of the shell E as well, so that there are three large surfaces on which the water is exposed and with the most direct and intense exposure at the last. In this way much the larger part of the heat is absorbed and a heater is produced having unusual capacity for its size and the amount of fuel consumed. The water-chamber itself being shallow and exposed on both sides the water is heated as it rises, and the shellE being exposed on its inner side to the heat from the large outer ring the water is heated further and finally on its descent, as already described. This enables the heater to be built comparatively small or short as compared with one having only one spreading and heating surface or in which length of travel in one direction is mainly relied on to get the requisite results.

It will be noticed that there is but a single circular water-chamber, which is provided with a Water-inlet at the bottom and outlet at the top, so that the said chamber is filled with water when in use. This affords a very large heating area, because both sides of the chamber are exposed to the direct heat of the burner, and the cylinders being of very thin metal and close together to form ashallow water-space it follows that the water is rapidly heated in large volume relatively.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In water-heaters, the outside inclosing casing, the water-heating shell engaged at its lower end with said casing and arranged to expose its inner surface to the direct heat of the outer portion of the burner, a single circular Water-heating chamber surrounded by said shell and constructed of thin sheet metal and having the water-inlet at its bottom and the water-outlet at its top, whereby it is filled with water in use, ducts at the top of the chamber to convey the Water onto the outer surface of the said shell and means to spread the water in a thin sheet over said shell, in combination with a burner constructed and arranged to directly heat both inside and outside of the water-heating chamber and the inside of the said shell, the said burner being located to impart its greatest volume of heat to the said shell on the plane substantially where the water is withdrawn, substantially as described.

2. The heater substantially as described, comprising an outer casing, a flaring waterheating shell next within the casing and engaging the casing at its lower end, a circular water-heating chamber centrally within the apparatus and having water-supply connection at its bottom and discharge at its top, said chamber having a heating-space on both sides thereof and surrounded by said shell, an overflow and water-evening device at the top of said chamber to spread the wateronto the outside of the shell, and a burner in the bottom of the heater constructed and arranged to heat both the inside and outside of said shell, and free passages for the direct application of the heat of the burner to both sides of said chamber and the inside of said shell and an open exit for the products of combustion from the tops of said passages, substantially as described.

3. A water-heater comprising a single annular water-heating chamber constructed to be filled with water when used and arranged centrally within the heater, an outer casing inclosing the heater and a water-heatin g shell between said casing and said chamber spread at its bottom against the casing and an outlet for the heated water at the bottom of said shell, said water-heating chamber having a heating-space on both sides thereof and the outer heating-space serving also to heat the said shell, an outlet from the top of the said water-heating chamber onto the said shell and a spreader engaged around said shell to equalize the flow of water from the said chamber over the outer surface of the shell, and a burner in the bottom of the heater constructed and arranged to impart its heat directly to both sides of said water-heating chamber and to the said shell as the water flows directly through the heater, said burner located to impart the greatest volume of heat to the shell near its discharge, substantially as described.

Witness my hand to the foregoing specification this 4th day of June, 1897.

ALMON G. VARD.

Witnesses: M. J. SLOAN, W. O. WINFIELD. 

